Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2017/prelims/mathematics-ii/2/c/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2017 Prelims Mathematics II 2 c ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Write . Suppose, for a contradiction, that only finitely many sign changes occur. Since every , the sign is then constant for . Set on that tail. Multiplying the recurrence relation by this constant sign givesConsequently for , and by comparison with a geometric sequence. But positivity of requires at every step, which is incompatible with . Thus the negative-parameter square-root iteration changes sign infinitely often.
New to topics? Read the docs here!